DOVETAILED LEATHER HINGE

As I mentioned in my previous post ,here is the improved version of my leather hinge .I have reduced the size to one inch and eliminated drilling the mortise by using a jig and dovetail router bit which gives the mortise a flat bottom .The other advantage is that the plug which is shaped to fit the mortise locks into mortise slightly compressing the leather making a very solid installation .The hinge now does not rely much on the glue joint but on a mechanical connection .The joint is made by placing the jig on the marked position which is accomplished by aligning the index marks inside the opening of the jig block .Once the jig and box has been clamped I simply rout out the mortise .Next I make the plugs by cutting them on the band saw and finish sanding the size and bevel on the disc sander .The two pieces that represent the box back and top are taped off with thin tape in the mortise area to eliminate glue stains and prevent the pieces from bonding together .Then glue is applied to the leather discs and plugs and slid into the mortise and clamped aligning itself .When the glue is set the hinge is sanded flush and further decoration can be made .I used the table saw tilted to 45 DEG.to cut the relive bevel on the joint being careful not to score the leather ,first time I tried this .Next step is to obtain some better leather then I have been using ,it will look better yet .

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16 comments so far

Interesting approach. I might suggest that you try to find some kangaroo leather for your hinges as I seem to recall it is the toughest of leathers and is used in making whips. Just a thought, and keep posting.

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Thanks everybody and hope you all had a great day ,I made a trip to the sawmill this afternoon and took some little gifts to thank Monika and peter for the big burl .Well my truck got loaded with some nice wood at no charge ,I guess they appreciated the gifts .I found out that the wood I used in the box shown above and taken as a gift is called BUTTERMILK PINE and got more of it to work with .Also got a bundle of some very nice white poplar (TIGER OR FLAME )and some tamarack.I had a great day !

If I understand correctly, the dovetail bit makes an opening that is wider at the bottom than the surface so that the wooden disc, with beveled edges, wedges the leather in place. Theoretically it could still pull out the hinged end…not likely though.